-Definition of 

summit noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

summit
 noun
 

 
/ˈsʌmɪt/
 
/ˈsʌmɪt/
.

enlarge image
.

. the highest point of something, especially the top of a mountain

 We reached the summit at noon.
 This path leads to the summit.
   (figurative) the summit of his career

Wordfinder

Extra Examples

TOPICS GeographyC1

Oxford Collocations Dictionary

.
  

. an official meeting or series of meetings between the leaders of two or more

governments at which they discuss important matters

 a summit in Moscow
 a summit conference

sink
 verb
 
 
/sɪŋk/
 
/sɪŋk/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs

in water/mud, etc.
.

.  [intransitive] to go down below the surface or towards the bottom of a liquid or

soft substance

 The ship sank to the bottom of the sea.

 The submarine sank after an explosion.
 We're sinking!
   sink into something  The wheels started to sink into the mud.
 The little boat sank beneath the waves.

Extra Examples
Oxford Collocations Dictionary

boat
 .

.  [transitive] sink something to damage a boat or ship so that it goes below the

surface of the sea, etc.

 The battleship was sunk by a torpedo.

 Bombs sank all four carriers.
 Five brothers all died when their ship was sunk.

TOPICS War and conflictB1

fall/sit down
. [intransitive] + adv./prep. (of a person) to move downwards, especially by falling or sitting
downSYNONYM collapse

 I sank into an armchair.

 She  sank back  into her seat, exhausted.
 The old man had  sunk to his knees.

Extra Examples
Oxford Collocations Dictionary

move downwards
. [intransitive] (of an object) to move slowly downwards

 The sun was sinking in the west.

 The sun had sunk below the horizon.
 The foundations of the building are starting to sink.

Oxford Collocations Dictionary

become weaker
. [intransitive] to decrease in amount, volume, strength, etc.

 The pound has sunk to its lowest recorded level against the dollar.
 He is clearly sinking fast  (= getting weaker quickly and will soon die).

Extra Examples
TOPICS Change, cause and effectC1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary

of voice
. [intransitive] to become quieterSYNONYM fade

 Her voice sank to a whisper.

 dig in ground
. [transitive] sink something to make a deep hole in the groundSYNONYM drill

 to sink a well/shaft/mine

. [transitive] sink something (+ adv./prep.) to place something in the ground by digging

 to sink a post into the ground

SEE ALSO sunken

prevent success
. [transitive] sink something/somebody (informal) to prevent somebody or somebody’s
plans from succeeding

 I think I've just sunk my chances of getting the job.

 If the car breaks down, we'll be sunk  (= have serious problems).

TOPICS Difficulty and failureC2

ball
. [transitive] sink something to hit a ball into a hole in golf or snooker

 He sank a 12-foot putt to win the match.

TOPICS Sports: other sportsC2

alcohol
. [transitive] sink something (British English, informal) to drink something quickly,
especially a large amount of alcohol

 They sank three pints each in 10 minutes.

depression
 noun
 
 
/dɪˈpreʃn/
 
/dɪˈpreʃn/

. [uncountable] a medical condition in which a person feels very sad and anxious
and often has physical symptoms such as being unable to sleep, etc.
 She was diagnosed as having clinical depression.
 She suffered from severe depression after losing her job.

Wordfinder
SEE ALSO postnatal depression, post-partum depression
Extra Examples
TOPICS IllnessB2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary

. [uncountable, countable] the state of feeling very sad and without hope

 There was a feeling of gloom and depression in the office when the news of the
job cuts was announced.

Extra Examples
TOPICS FeelingsB2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary

. [countable, uncountable] a period when there is little economic activity and many
people are poor or without jobs

 The country was in the grip of (an) economic depression.

 the great Depression of the 1930s
 He grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Extra Examples
TOPICS MoneyC1, Social issuesC1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary

. [countable] (formal) a part of a surface that is lower than the parts around

itSYNONYM hollow

 Rainwater collects in shallow depressions on the ground.

 From the air, the photos show a shallow depression on the planet's surface.

Oxford Collocations Dictionary

 . [countable] (specialist) a weather condition in which the pressure of the air becomes
lower, often causing rain

 an atmospheric depression moving east from the Atlantic

COMPARE anticycloneTOPICS WeatherC2

exploded
 adjective
 
/ɪkˈspləʊdɪd/
 
/ɪkˈspləʊdɪd/
(specialist)

enlarge image

. (of a drawing or diagram) showing the parts of something separately but also

showing how they are connected to each other
 an exploded diagram of a plane

starry
 adjective
 
/ˈstɑːri/
 
/ˈstɑːri/
[usually before noun]

. (of the sky) full of stars

 a beautiful starry night
. looking like a star

 starry flowers

. (of eyes) shining like stars

Check pronunciation: starry

cluster
 noun
 
 
/ˈklʌstə(r)/
 
/ˈklʌstər

 
a group of things of the same type that grow or appear close together

 The telescope is focused on a dense cluster of stars at the edge of the galaxy.
 The plant bears its flowers in clusters.
 a leukaemia cluster (= an area where there are more cases of the disease than you would
expect)

 
a group of people, animals or things close together

 a cluster of spectators
 a little cluster of houses

(phonetics) a group of consonants that come together in a word or phrase, for example /str/ at the
beginning of string

 a consonant cluster

tilt
 verb
 
/tɪlt/
 
/tɪlt/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs

. [intransitive, transitive] to move, or make something move, into a position with one side or
end higher than the otherSYNONYM tip
   (+ adv./prep.) Suddenly the boat tilted to one side
 The seat tilts forward, when you press this lever.
   tilt something (+ adv./prep.)  His hat was tilted slightly at an angle.
 She tilted her head back and looked up at me with a smile.

Extra Examples
Oxford Collocations Dictionary

. [transitive, intransitive] tilt (something/somebody) (in favour of/away from

something/somebody) to make something/somebody change slightly so that one
particular opinion, person, etc. is preferred or more likely to succeed than another; to
change in this way

 The conditions may  tilt the balance  in favour of the Kenyan runners.
 Popular opinion has  tilted in favour  of the socialists.
halves
 
/hɑːvz/
 
/hævz/

. PLURAL OF half

grid
 noun
 

 
/ɡrɪd/
 
/ɡrɪd/
Idioms

. a pattern of straight lines, usually crossing each other to form squares

 New York’s grid of streets

. a frame of metal or wooden bars that are parallel or cross each otherSEE ALSO cattle
grid
.

. a pattern of squares on a map that are marked with letters or numbers to help
you find the exact position of a place

 The grid reference is C8.

 .

. (especially British English) a system of electric wires or pipes carrying gas, for
sending power over a large area

 the national grid  (= the electricity supply in a country)

 the development of the country’s electricity grid
 Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system.

SEE ALSO national grid

(also  starting grid)

.  (in motor racing) a pattern of lines marking the starting positions for the racing
cars

 The 20-year-old didn't get the best of starts off the grid.

(often  the Grid)

.  [singular] (computing) a number of computers that are linked together using the

internet so that they can share power, data, etc. in order to work on difficult
problems

Idioms

off the grid

. (especially North American English) not using the public supplies of electricity, gas, water,
etc.

 The mountain cabin is entirely off the grid.

  You can produce your own power and live off the grid.


surplus
 noun
 
 
/ˈsɜːpləs/
 
/ˈsɜːrplʌs/
[countable, uncountable]

. an amount that is extra or more than you need

 food surpluses
   in surplus Wheat was in surplus that year.

SEE ALSO army surplus

Extra Examples
Oxford Collocations Dictionary

. the amount by which the amount of money received is greater than the amount of
money spent

 a surplus of £400 million

   in surplus The balance of payments was in surplus last year (= the value of
exports was greater than the value of imports).

sustain
 verb
 OPAL W
 
/səˈsteɪn/
 
/səˈsteɪn/
Verb Forms

 
 . sustain somebody/something to provide enough of what somebody/something
needs in order to live or exist
 Which planets can sustain life?
 I only had a little chocolate to sustain me on my walk.
 The love and support of his family sustained him during his time in prison.
 When she lost her job they could no longer sustain their expensive lifestyle.
 The soil was so badly eroded it could no longer sustain crop production.
.

. sustain something to make something continue for some time without becoming
lessSYNONYM maintain

 She managed to sustain everyone's interest until the end of her speech.
 Kangaroos can sustain high speeds over long distances.
 the sustaining pedal of a piano  (= that allows a note to continue sounding for a
long time)
 This relationship would be very difficult to sustain.

. sustain something (formal) to experience something badSYNONYM suffer

 to sustain damage/an injury/a defeat

 The company sustained losses of millions of dollars.

TOPICS IllnessC2

. sustain something to provide evidence to support an opinion, a theory,

etc.SYNONYM uphold

 The evidence is not detailed enough to sustain his argument.

TOPICS Opinion and argumentC2

. sustain something (formal) to support a weight without breaking or

fallingSYNONYM bear

 The ice will not sustain your weight.

. sustain something (law) to decide that a claim, etc. is true or

legally validSYNONYM uphold

 The court sustained his claim that the contract was illegal.
 Objection sustained! (= said by a judge when a lawyer makes an objection in
court)

comprise
 verb
 OPAL W
 
/kəmˈpraɪz/
 
/kəmˈpraɪz/
not used in the progressive tenses(formal)
Verb Forms

(also  be comprised of)

. to have somebody/something as parts or membersSYNONYM consist

of
   comprise something The collection comprises 327 paintings.
 a DVD box set comprising seasons 4 and 5
   be comprised of somebody/something The committee is comprised of
representatives from both the public and private sectors.

The main meaning of comprise is   ‘have somebody/something as parts or members’.

You can use it in two forms: as comprise with an object: The country comprises 20
states. Or you can use it in the passive form be comprised of somebody/something,
which has the same meaning: The country is comprised of twenty states. Sometimes you
may see the active form ‘comprise of’ but this is considered incorrect: The property
comprises of bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

. comprise something to be the parts or members that form

somethingSYNONYM make up

 Older people comprise a large proportion of those living in poverty.

basin
 noun
 
/ˈbeɪsn/
 
/ˈbeɪsn/

(also  washbasin)

. (both especially British English)

(also  sink North American English, British English)

(also especially North American English washbowl)

 .a large bowl that has taps and is fixed to the wall in a bathroom,
used for washing your hands and face in
 He washed his hands in the basin.
 She filled the basin with warm soapy water.
. a large round bowl for holding liquids or (in British English) for preparing foods in; the
amount of liquid, etc. in a basin

 a pudding basin

. an area of land around a large river with streams running down into it

 the Amazon Basin

TOPICS GEOGRAPHYC2

. (specialist) a place where the earth’s surface is lower than in other areas of the world

 the Pacific Basin

. a sheltered area of water providing a safe harbour for boats

 a yacht basin

glacier
 noun
 
/ˈɡlæsiə(r)/
 
/ˈɡleɪʃər/

enlarge image

. a slow-moving mass or river of ice, formed from snow on mountains or near the
North Pole or South Pole

tide
 noun
 
 
/taɪd/
 
/taɪd/
Idioms

. [countable, uncountable] a regular rise and fall in the level of the sea, caused by
the pull of the moon and sun; the flow of water that happens as the sea rises and
falls
 the ebb and flow of the tide
 The tide is in/out.
 Is the tide coming in  or  going out?
 The body was washed up on the beach by the tide

harbour
 noun
 
 
/ˈhɑːbə(r)/
 
/ˈhɑːrbər/
(US English harbor)
[countable, uncountable]

enlarge image

. an area of water on the coast, protected from the open sea by strong walls,
where ships can shelter
 Several boats lay at anchor in the harbour.
 to enter/leave harbour
 the harbour front/mouth/wall
   (figurative) She felt as though she'd reached a safe harbour after sailing in a
vast, unfriendly sea.